YEAR IN REVIEW 2024
WOW! END OF YEAR? SO FAST! (THIS IS THE 7TH YEAR IN A ROW I’VE WRITTEN ONE OF THESE AND THERE’S ONLY SO MANY WITTY INTROS, PLUS THE ACTUAL CONTENT IS MORE IMPORTANT SO LET’S GET TO THAT!)
THIS WAS CERTAINLY A COMPLICATED AND TUMULTUOUS YEAR FOR WORK. I BEGAN THE YEAR WORKING IN ADVERTISING SALES, PURCHASING LINEAR AD SPACE ON BEHALF OF PEPSICO AT OMD. AFTER RECEIVING AN OFFER FROM A COMPETITOR IN MARCH, I ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO LEAVE THE INDUSTRY ALTOGETHER AND SEEK WORK CLOSER TO MY PREFERRED FIELD. I BEGAN FREELANCING AS A VIDEOGRAPHER, PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEO EDITOR. THIS YEAR I SHOT 99 LIVE SHOWS, SHOT 20 FILM SHOOTS, SHOT AND EDITED 58 SOCIAL MEDIA EPISODES AND SO MUCH MORE. YOU CAN SEE A PORTFOLIO OF MY WORK HERE, A HIGHLIGHT REEL HERE (TO COME) AND MORE SAMPLES AT @NOAHSHOOTSFRIENDS ON INSTAGRAM. WHILE GETTING STARTED, I SUPPLEMENTED MY INCOME BY TEACHING FILM ACTING TO SECOND GRADERS AT AN AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM AT APPLAUSE NYC AND BY BEING A LITERAL CHILDREN’S PARTY CLOWN AT CLOWNS.COM. YES, I KNOW HOW TO MAKE BALLOON ANIMALS NOW.
IN APRIL I BEGAN EDITING VIDEOS FOR FALLEN MEDIA, A SHORT FORM PRODUCTION COMPANY. AFTER WORKING WITH FALLEN MEDIA FOR A COUPLE MONTHS, I BEGAN SHOOTING AND PRODUCING. I HELPED LAUNCH A TAROT CARD READING SHOW WITH MY FRIEND HUNTER MRUZ, AS WELL AS SHOT AND EDITED FOR THE COMPANY’S FULL SLATE OF SHOWS: WHAT’S POPPIN’, BITE ME, STREET HEARTS, THRIFT WARS AND SUBWAY ORACLE. IN THIS ROLE, I PHOTOGRAPHED NUMEROUS HIGH PROFILE TALENTS, INCLUDING BRIAN BAUMGARTNER (KEVIN FROM THE OFFICE), MELORA HARDIN (JAN FROM THE OFFICE), JAMES CHARLES (INTERNET PERSONALITY), NEV SCHULMAN (HOST OF CATFISH), SAL VULCANO (IMPRACTICAL JOKERS), JOE GATTO (IMPRACTICAL JOKERS), JENN TRAN (THE BACHELORETTE), WEST WILSON (SUMMER HOUSE), KYLIE CANTRALL (DESCENDANTS) AND MORE.
ADDITIONALLY, I HELPED TO CREATE NUMEROUS ORGANIC VIRAL VIDEOS, INCLUDING EDITING A BITE ME EPISODE WITH COOKING CREATOR JUMO (8.4M INSTAGRAM VIEWS TO DATE), EDITING A TAROT READING FOR A GUY CLAIMING HE WOULD BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (HE WASN'T) (789.8K VIEWS ON TIKTOK TO DATE), PLUS SCRIPTING AND EDITING A TAROT READING FOR A CAT (332.5K VIEWS ON TIKTOK TO DATE). I ALSO SHOT FOR MULTIPLE HIGH PROFILE BRANDS, INCLUDING M-A-C COSMETICS FOR THEIR MOST VIEWED INSTAGRAM VIDEO EVER (23M VIEWS TO DATE), WESTIN HOTELS PUTTING A KING SIZED BED IN CENTRAL PARK (3.8M AND 1.5M TIKTOK VIEWS TO DATE), MOTOROLA’S LAUNCH EVENT FOR THE NEW RAZR AND MORE. I AM VERY EXCITED TO CONTINUE FREELANCING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH A NEW WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE TO DRAW FROM.
THIS YEAR I ALSO GOT MY FIRST PERSONAL BRAND DEAL WITH A SWEATER COMPANY CALLED NAADAM. IN COLLABORATION WITH THEIR “CASHMERE SO SOFT IT CAN GIVE ANYONE A SOFT SIDE, EVEN THE DEVIL HIMSELF” CAMPAIGN, I DEVELOPED, SHOT AND EDITED 2 ORGANIC VIDEOS AND 1 PAID. THE VIDEOS WERE A MASSIVE SUCCESS AND HAVE BEEN VIEWED OVER 1.3M TIMES ON INSTAGRAM AND 523.5K TIMES ON TIKTOK. IN ONE VIDEO, I SCRIPTED AND CAST TALENT TO “RUN INTO” ON THE STREET AND IN ANOTHER I FOUND HONEST REACTIONS TO CRAZY QUESTIONS WITH REAL NEW YORKERS. I KNOW I LITERALLY AM BEING PAID TO REPRESENT THEM, BUT THEIR SUSTAINABLY SOURCED CASHMERE IS INCREDIBLY SOFT AND REMARKABLY AFFORDABLE - THE SWEATER I HAVE ON IN MY HOLIDAY CARD IS A NAADAM SWEATER.
UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT BOOK A COMMERCIAL THIS YEAR, BUT I AM SO EXCITED TO HAVE SIGNED WITH THE COMMERCIAL TEAM AT STEWART TALENT. I WENT OUT ON MORE AUDITIONS THIS YEAR THAN I EVER DID IN MY LIFE AND I AM SO EXCITED TO CONTINUE IN THE NEW YEAR. I AM ALSO ACTIVELY SEEKING REPRESENTATION FOR FILM/TV, COMEDY AND INFLUENCER MARKETING.
THIS YEAR I ONCE AGAIN DID ARGUABLY TOO MUCH COMEDY. I STARTED THE YEAR OFF WITH MY VERY FIRST COMEDY FESTIVAL FOR STANDUP COMEDY, PERFORMING AS PART OF THE SALEM COMEDY FESTIVAL (MA). DOING 15 MINUTE SETS AT THE MULTI-NIGHT FESTIVAL WAS SO EXCITING AND CREATIVELY CHALLENGING. THIS YEAR ALSO SAW THE EXPANSION OF MY STANDUP GROUP “REUNION,” WHICH HELD 5 SUCCESSFUL STANDUP SHOWS, INCLUDING ONE OFF-BROADWAY. I AM SO LUCKY TO HAVE A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORTIVE COLLABORATORS IN A WORLD WHERE IT IS MORE OFTEN CUT-THROAT. THE CHARACTER SHOW I HOST WITH SLOAN BRETTHOLTZ CELEBRATED ITS ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN MARCH AND HAD ITS 20TH SHOW IN OCTOBER. AFTER 20 CONSECUTIVE MONTHLY SHOWS, WE DECIDED TO PUT THE SHOW ON HIATUS WHILE WE PURSUE OTHER PROJECTS. I ALSO CONTINUED TO PERFORM WITH MY BOOGIEMANJA SKETCH COMEDY TEAM “BOTH HANDS” ON THEIR MONTHLY SHOWS. THIS YEAR I DEBUTED A SHOW WITH MY GOOD FRIEND LIV ROCKLIN TITLED, “LIV AND NOAH DO EVERY KIND OF COMEDY” WHERE WE DID A LITTLE BIT OF EVERY KIND OF COMEDY. THESE SHOWS WERE EXHAUSTING AND EXHILARATING AND I CANNOT WAIT TO DO THEM AGAIN. IN TOTAL, I PERFORMED ON 32 SHOWS THIS YEAR.
IN JUNE, I VISITED MY SISTER IN CORK, IRELAND WITH MY MOTHER TO WATCH HER RUN HER FIRST MARATHON. I SPENT TWO WEEKS WORKING REMOTELY FROM THERE AND LOVED SEEING HER AND EXPERIENCING THE CHANGE OF PACE EUROPE OFFERS. I ALSO HAD THE JOY OF TAKING A TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO WITH MY FATHER. SINCE THE OAKLAND A’S HAD ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WERE LEAVING OAKLAND AFTER THIS YEAR, WE FIGURED WE HAVE TO GO SEE THE COLISEUM. YOU CAN CHECK OUT A VIDEO WE MADE ABOUT THE VISIT, AND ONE ABOUT ORACLE PARK IN SAN FRANCISCO. I AM SO GLAD I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND QUALITY TIME SEEING THE WORLD WITH MY FAMILY.
AS MANY HIGH POINTS AS THERE WERE THIS YEAR, IT WASN’T ALL ROSES. BUT THAT’S THE BEST PART ABOUT DARKNESS, IT MAKES YOU APPRECIATE THE LIGHT THAT MUCH MORE. WHILE THIS YEAR WAS CERTAINLY A TOUGH ONE, I AM GRATEFUL FOR IT, AS IT HAS LED ME TO THE PLACE I AM TODAY AND HAS INTRODUCED ME TO SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE ME A BETTER PERSON.
I WISH YOU AND YOURS A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON AND A 2025 THAT IS FULL OF SMILES AND HOPE.
